Resume Writing Workshop

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Resume Writing Workshop

• JoAnn DelMonte, RN, MSN
• Coordinator Graduate Nurse Residency Program

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What is a Resume?

• A first impression, dont underestimate its
  importance
• A summary of your professional and personal
  experiences and skills relevant to the position
  or promotion you are seeking (UEXCEL
  credentialing is a promotion)
• A tool to highlight your skills and
  accomplishments showing you are qualified for a
  position or promotion
• Reflects more than paid work experiences, should
  also include education, accomplishments,
  volunteer, and community activities

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The basics

• A one-page resume is best, do not exceed 2 pages
• AVOID TYPOS!!!
• Bulleted format allows your reader to scan the
  resume (most resumes are scanned in 20 30
  seconds)
• Print on high-quality white or ivory paper

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Preparing to Write Your Resume

• Make lists of
• Jobs held
• Skills acquired
• Duties Performed
• Schools attended
• Honors received
• Volunteer activities
• Committee involvement
• Community activities
• Choose what to include or exclude

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What should be included?

• Basic information that should always be included
• Name, current address, phone (home and office),
  email (optional)
• centered on top of page or in L or R corner (if
  more than one-page be sure to include your name
  on the top of page 2)
• Education with only the year you received a
  degree (omit high school and schools you
  transferred from)
• Professional Experiences/Accomplishments/Activitie
  s
• Honors and Awards

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Other sections you may wish to include

• Career objective
• Specific to the job or promotion you are seeking
• UEXCEL Career Advancement to an Expert Level IV
  RN in the Rehabilitation Unit
• Presentations and publications
• Certifications
• Professional memberships
• Volunteer activities, how have you become
  involved in your community?
• Other?
• You may call this section Additional
  Information foreign language, computer skills,
  travel/living abroad, mission work

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Select a Format

• Chronological organized around the dates of
  your experiences in reverse chronological order
  (most recent dates first)
• widely preferred by employers
• easier to read
• Functional arranges experiences around
  functions you have performed or skills you have
  developed
• best used if you are changing fields to highlight
  transferable skills

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Resume Layout

• Resumes are skimmed before they are read
• Use indentation, boldfacing, italics,
  capitalization and underlining to draw the
  readers eyes to the most pertinent information
• Have a nurse and non-nurse friend proof your work
• 5-10 second skimwhat stood out about you?

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Resume Dos

• Do
• Use power words (see handout)
• Replace responsibilities included with career
  accomplishments
• Find ways to set yourself apart
• Include PAR statements (problem- action-
  result)
• Utilized current evidence to revise outdated
  dialysis patient education materials and created
  a more comprehensive and user friendly take-home
  pamphlet

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Resume Donts

• Dont
• Include personal info age, marital status,
  social security
• Write a personal self history
• Copy back to back
• Write in paragraph form (use bulleted format)
• Make spelling or grammatical errors
• You only get one chance to make a positive first
  impression
• Water down or over simplify your accomplishments

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Additional Resources

• UEXCEL Board members
• www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes
• www.free-resume-tips.com/resumetips/healthcare.htm
  l
• www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/resume.h
  tml
• www.accent-resume-writing.com/resumewritingtips/
• GOOD LUCK!